Minor Races
Alongside the primary races, there are several different minors scattered throughout the world. In ages past, they were as populous as humans. Now, they usually occupy some slum dwelling within large human dominated cities, or stick to scattered pocket empires. While not inherently hostile to humans there is strong distrust between the minor races and Humanity. Goblinid Ghaklaal The Goblinid Ghaklaal, literally meaning "Goblin Mafia" is a collection of goblinoid races that all share a common ancestry and are united by it. The Ghaklaal is made up of several races. They are as follows: * Goblins * Ogres * Minotaurs * Anubians Goblins Goblins are a mongrel race that are mostly viewed as a pest, rather than a cohesive nation. They run several black markets and fencing operations. They are a thieves best friend, and are the most experienced criminals in the world. They are lithe, four armed orange creatures with colorful eyes, indicating that they share a common ancestry with Ogres. They have large tusks protruding upwards from their lower jaw. Ogres Ogres are generally not seen outside the Goblin markets. They are a dwindling race and are nothing more than hired muscle to protect black markets. Ogres are large, unintelligent brutes not worth much more than menial labor and brute force. They too have large tusks protruding upwards from their abnormally large jaws, as well as having a noticeable slouch. They primarily use ranged weaponry, and their orange skin is thick and very resistant to heat. They primarily use overly large version of typical ranged weaponry, in proportion to their size. These weapons tend to be unreliable but incredibly deadly. Anubians Anubians are a dog-like warrior race. Their appearance is very humanoid, with the exception of their upper torso and head, resembling that of a wolf. Their maw is elongated and their mouth is lined with horrifically sharp teeth. While they do not share any common ancestry with the Goblins, they are employed as a permanent mercenary force acting as the Ghaklaal's standing army. Anubians fight in a bestial manner, preferring to get close to use their overwhelming strength and deadly bites. They typically are clad in blackened ornate armor and use their horrifically sharp claws in combat. Minotaurs Minotaurs are a group of arcyte researchers employed by the Ghaklaal as spellcasters, researchers, and inventors. They also double as very powerful battlemages, infusing arcyte and machinery into one. These black skinned bovine brutes are intelligent, well built, and very tall. They prefer melee combat enhanced by very powerful arcyte-infused machinery. They are responsible for some of the first ABW's and its widespread application on the battle field. These War Engineers are powerful in their own right. Capable of building what they need on the fly and infusing it with arcyte, Minotaurs are among the most deadly Mongrel Races. They wade into battle atop semi-sentient mechanical lions. While in combat, they leap head first into the thick of battle clad in armor unmatched by even the most skilled of human blacksmiths. They seek to inject arcyte into every inch of their technology, often producing wildly powerful outcomes. Their ancestral link tapered off sometime ago, due to horrible mutations inflicted by ill informed use of magic in the early ages. These mutations eventually became dominate in the Minotaur genome and produced what we have today. Rhuun Confab The Rhuun Confab operates as the mafia's leading organizational body. Often acting as a council, the Rhuun Confab is made up of all the various factions and races within the Ghaklaal. The Confab keeps order over the vast reaching Underbrooke and is a necessary evil in order to keep the Ghaklaal one cohesive political body. Black Markets Black markets are scattered throughout Pavonas, reaching from the far east islands of Or'kazuur, and even touching the largely unexplored continents and islands of the far west. Black markets act as nomadic tent cities, moving from place to place. Each black market has an established place they setup. using hundreds of caravans pulled by thousands of labor animals, these moving cities can be packed up in a moments notice. When black market cities grow to enough size, they are required to splinter off and establish themselves elsewhere, growing not only the IGS but ensuring the survival of the Goblinoid species'. Black markets also serve as fencing markets. Stolen goods not able to be produced within the tent cities are highly valuable, and thieves are often compensated highly for. The idea is, the more luxurious and rare the item, the more money in it for the thief. This has lead to increased crime, namely theft. And often from the particularly rich. However, this does not mean that they desire items of the rich; it may simply be an item the black market does not have simple access to, such as ore. As a result of these fencing operations, orders of thieves have been established across Pavonas. These guilds often provide legal protection, as well as muscle for would-be thieves. Many state politicians are in the pockets of these guilds, making most immune to legal action. This has also lead to increased tension between the IGS and the human nations of Hafgar. While outright war would never break out, hired goons are often used to harass and raid black markets. This leads to proxy wars with both sides never really mobilizing. To date, there are roughly 16 known black markets scattered across the world, with nine of them positioned on Hafgar. Three more are located on Or'kazuur, albeit are some of the smallest and less wildly known. Two are located on the island chain of Ka'lyn which often puts them at conflict with the Bron'izal. The last two located in the Wildlands which are some of the most successful in the world, and often find themselves allied to the Tar'Darii Brotherhood. There is still an unknown amount of black markets across the blue sea on the undiscovered continents as well as scattered across the known world. Masharah “The Missing Children”, The Sharah are the unified force of insects in the world… Before the sentient races even sprouted, the Sharah’s ancestors and the Sha’tyn fought for dominance of the Underbrush. The Sharah lost, going on to fight another war with the Humans of Hafgar and losing as well. However, despite their two major defeats, the Sharah managed to establish a final bastion where they evolved at an unprecedented speed, becoming humanoid. Now the Sharah roam the world with singular purpose: To reestablish Sharah dominance. They are tough, capable of regrowing limbs easily, they have no pain receptors and their bodies are built to withstand all nature can offer. Many of them can fly and stick to walls, but Sharah are rare. And even rarer is for them to deem a party fit for joining. Humanoid Sharah call themselves the Masharah. Baccyan “The Desert’s Devils”, Baccyan are humans that share physiology with camels. While their features are not animalistic, their hair and insides resemble camels; having knotted hair, and the ability to hold large amounts of water. They have an absolute affinity for arcyte, and their bodies react aggressively towards its presence. This means that they “suffer” from rampant mutation and often lose themselves to arcyte when incapable. However, they view these mutations as a sign of honor and maturity, with the oldest being the most mutated. Intelligent and hardy, they generally serve as pilots, operators, and shock troops for the Tar’Darii Brotherhood. Other There are "races" that do not hold a stable enough population to be considered a unified peoples, but are distinct enough to not be classified as a different species. Sha'hal “The Hated”, Sha'hal are humanoids that are host to a Sha’tyn parasitic arachnid that twists the minds of the beings it inhabits. The Sha’tyn of old were masters of manipulation, something the Sha’tyn of Pavonas have not forgotten. While not at first, outward appearances of Sha'hal change drastically as time goes on. At first, the being looks and acts completely normal, but if the parasite ever feels as though they are threatened, they release a bio-chemical that triggers mutagenic changes in the host. These changes twist the host into a horrific arachnid appearance, taking on a half host half arachnid appearance. They are generally used as infiltrators and negotiators, namely the former. Quick, agile, and deadly, Sha'hal are not to be underestimated. In ages past, the Sha'hal were responsible for the destabilization of great empires through acts of intrigue and infiltration. Additionally, the Sha'hal can take on a lesser Sha’tyn as a companion. Sha'tyn Broodmother Sha’tyn constantly evolve and grow over their lives. However, there is a cap. When a Sha’tyn reaches this cap, they evolve into a Broodmother. Broodmothers entrench themselves within the earth, expanding and consuming all living and nonliving matter within its grasp. It accomplishes this by reaching out with tendrils that drill and crush their way through rock and stone. They inturn create birthing chambers, which produce offspring and further the Sha’tyn race. Broodmothers essentially lose their arachnid appearance and become living structures, places where Sha’tyn breed, live, and harvest essence. It is currently unknown how many exist today, but it is often theorized that The Great Divide was the result of a particularly large and incredibly old Broodmother.